The Adoption and Impact of Improved Maize and Land Management Technologies in Uganda

In spite of the fact that the Ugandan National Agricultural Research System has developed and released several production-enhancing technologies over a century, yields of most major crops at the farm level have been low. Given that about 80 percent of Uganda’s labor force is employed in agriculture, the scope for sustainable poverty reduction in Uganda depends very much on improving agricultural productivity. It is in this context, this paper examines why there has been poor adoption of production-enhancing technologies in the production of maize, which is a major crop in Uganda and what the impacts of the exiting production environment are on factor payments. This study reveals that farmers do not pay proper attention to soil fertility management, which acts as a major constraint to increase yields. The analysis also indicates the need for vibrant rental market for land to provide access to landless tenants who are found to be the economically efficient.Production-enhancing technologies, maize, land management, poverty reduction, Crop Production/Industries, Land Economics/Use,

EXTERNALITIES, RISK AND THE PRIVATE PROPERTY-OVERGRAZING PARADOX: THE CASE OF PRIVATE CATTLE FARMS IN NYABUSHOZI COUNTY, WESTERN UGANDA

Livestock Production/Industries,

Development pathways and land management in Uganda: causes and implications

This paper investigates the patterns and determinants of change in livelihood strategies (“development pathways”), land management practices, agricultural productivity, resource and human welfare conditions in Uganda since 1990, based upon a community- level survey conducted in 107 villages. Six dominant development pathways emerged, all but one of which involved increasing specialization in already dominant activities: expansion of cereal production, expansion of banana and coffee production, non- farm development, expansion of horticultural production, expansion of cotton, and stable coffee production.Sustainable livelihoods., Land use Economic aspects., Agricultural productivity Uganda., Population growth.,

DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS AND LAND MANAGEMENT IN UGANDA: CAUSES AND IMPLICATIONS

This paper investigates the patterns and determinants of change in livelihood strategies ("development pathways"), land management practices, resource and human welfare conditions in Uganda since 1990, based upon a community-level survey conducted in 107 villages. The pattern of agricultural development since 1990 involved increasing specialization and commercialization of economic activities, consistent with local comparative advantages and market liberalization. Six dominant development pathways emerged, all but one of which involved increasing specialization in already dominant activities: expansion of cereal production, expansion of banana and coffee production, non-farm development, expansion of horticultural production, expansion of cotton, and stable coffee production. Of these, expansion of banana and coffee production was most strongly associated with adoption of resource-conserving practices and improvements in resource conditions and welfare. Other strategies are needed for areas not suited for this pathway. Other factors also influenced land management and resource and welfare outcomes. Road development was associated with improvements in many welfare and some natural resource conditions, except forest and wetland availability. Irrigation was found to reduce pressure to expand cultivated area at the expense of forest and wetlands, and is associated with improvement in some welfare and resource indicators. Government and non-governmental organization programs were found to contribute to improvements in several resource and welfare indicators, though there were some mixed results. Such programs may cause declines in one area by focusing on improvements in another area. Thus, trade-offs appear to be inherent in many efforts to improve agriculture or protect resources. Population growth had an insignificant impact on most indicators of change, though there is some evidence of population-induced agricultural intensification. The findings support neither the pessimism of some neo-Malthusian observers or the optimism of some neo-Boserupian observers regarding the impacts of population growth.International Development, Land Economics/Use,

Strategies for sustainable land management and poverty reduction in Uganda:

"The government of Uganda, with help from its development partners, is designing and implementing policies and strategies to address poverty, land degradation, and declining agricultural productivity. Land degradation, especially soil erosion and depletion of soil nutrients, is widespread in Uganda and contributes to declining productivity, which in turn increases poverty. The report has four major objectives: (1) to examine the causes of land degradation in Uganda; (2) to identify the determinants of income strategies and land management decisions and their impacts on agricultural productivity, soil erosion, and household income; (3) to assess the trade-offs and complementarities among these different objectives; and (4) to analyze the soil nutrient depletion in eastern Uganda to determine the factors that influence it." from Text

STRATEGIES TO INCREASE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND REDUCE LAND DEGRADATION: EVIDENCE FROM UGANDA

This paper estimates a structural econometric model of household decisions regarding income strategies, participation in programs and organizations, crop choices, land management, and labor use, and their implications for agricultural production and land degradation; based upon a survey of over 450 households and their farm plots in Uganda. The results generally support the Boserupian model of population-induced agricultural intensification, but do not support the "more people-less erosion" hypothesis, with population pressure found to contribute to erosion in the densely populated highlands. Agricultural technical assistance programs have location-specific impacts on agricultural production and land degradation, contributing to higher value of crop production in the lowlands, but to soil erosion in the highlands. By contrast, NGO programs focusing on agriculture and environment are helping to reduce erosion, but have mixed impacts on production. We find little evidence of impact of access to markets, roads and credit, land tenure or title on agricultural intensification and crop production, though road access appears to contribute to land degradation in the highlands. Education increases household incomes, but also reduces crop production in the lowlands. We do not find evidence of a poverty-land degradation trap, while poverty has mixed impacts on agricultural production: smaller farms obtain higher crop production per hectare, while households with fewer livestock have crop production. These findings suggest that development of factor markets can improve agricultural efficiency. Several other factors that contribute to increased value of crop production, without significant impacts on land degradation, include specialized crop production, livestock and nonfarm income strategies, and irrigation. In general, the results imply that the strategies to increase agricultural production and reduce land degradation must be location-specific, and that there are few "win-win" opportunities to simultaneously increase production and reduce land degradation.Agricultural productivity, land degradation, agricultural development strategies, Uganda, farm size-productivity, Land Economics/Use, Productivity Analysis,

Determinants of fast food consumption in Kampala, Uganda

Consumption of fast-food in Uganda is becoming an increasingly importantcomponent of the food market as more of the working class choose to dine out rather than prepare meals at home. Despite the importance of the fast-food sector, limited attempts have been made to study the consumption and expenditure behaviour of consumers of fast-food in Uganda. The main objective of this study was to assess characteristics influencing the consumption of fast-food in Kampala district. Specifically, the objectives of the study were: to assess the factors influencing theprobability of consuming fast-food; and to determine the level of expenditure on fastfood. Primary data on socio-economic characteristics were collected from a sample of 300 respondents using a multi-stage sampling procedure. The study revealed that majority (90%) of the respondents consumed fast-food. The consumption of fast-foodwas most motivated by their taste and convenience. Results from the Heckman model show that household size, education level and distance from work-place to restaurant negatively influenced the probability of fast-food consumption and level of expenditure on fast-food while disposable monthly income had a positive effect on the probability of consumption and level of expenditure on fast-food. The high demandfor fast-food is seen as an easy solution to consumers’ busy schedules and limited meal preparation time. As changing tastes and need for convenience become the goal of households, consumption of fast-food will be expected to rise especially in urban areas. This increase in fast-food consumption, coupled with rising population and urbanization in Uganda offers new market opportunities for agribusiness firms to exploit the growing demand by investing in the fast-food sector and producingsufficiently for this market. In addition, fast-food establishments should ensure proximity of their products and services to the consumers as convenience greatly influences fast-food consumption. Future research should include identification of sources of agricultural products used by fast-food outlets to provide information about the contribution of the fast-food sector to agricultural marketing and farmers’ livelihoods in Uganda

ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF COMMUNITY BASED BEAN SEED PRODUCTION AND MARKETING IN THE CENTRAL RIFT VALLEY OF ETHIOPIA

Limited access to seed of improved varieties is an impediment to agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers in the national and international agricultural research systems have been piloting a community based seed multiplication and marketing enterprises (CBSME) model, as an alternative to the formal seed systems, in order to increase availability and accessibility to quality seed of improved common bean ( Phaseolus vulvaris L.) varieties by smallholder farmers. The objective of this study was to assess the profitability of CBSME as an enterprise for seed production and analyse factors that influence farmers\u2019 decisions to participate in it as seed producers or buyers of seed. Gross margins were computed to assess value addition at farm level; while Tobit and multivariate probit models used to respectively, analyse determinants of participation in community based seed multiplication enterprise and its use by producers as a seed source. The community based seed multiplication enterprises were found to be profitable, generating US$792 as gross margins and accessible to farmers for the bean seed, along other seed sources, i.e. formal and informal seed systems. These three seed production and delivery models competed at farm level, but complemented each other in terms of reaching users in different social groups and locations. Community based seed multiplication enterprises as sources of seed were used by farmers located in rural areas and those in farmer organisations/cooperatives. However, seed production through this model is concentrated closer to urban areas, where individual seed producers are easily linked to the formal seed system. This, however, makes the marketing of seed reliant on big buyers for redistribution among remote farming communities.L\u2019acc\ue8s limit\ue9 aux semences de vari\ue9t\ue9s am\ue9lior\ue9es est un obstacle \ue0 la productivit\ue9 agricole en Afrique sub-Saharienne. Les cherheurs dans les systems nationaux de recherches agricoles sont entrain de tester des mod\ue8les d\u2019entreprises communautaires de multiplication et de commercialisation (CBSME); comme une alternative aux syst\ue8mes semenciers formels, dans le but d\u2019accro\ueetre la disponibilit\ue9 et l\u2019accessibilit\ue9 aux semences de qualit\ue9 de l\u2019haricot commun ( Phaseolus vulvaris L.) par les petits producteurs. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019\ue9valuer la profitabilit\ue9 de CBSME comme une entreprise de production des semences et d\u2019analyser les facteurs qui influencent les d\ue9cisions des producteurs \ue0 y participer en tant que producteurs et acheteurs de semences. Les marges brutes \ue9taient calcul\ue9es pour \ue9valuer la value ajout\ue9e au niveau de l\u2019exploitation agricole, tandis que les mod\ue8les de Tobit et multivari\ue9 de Probit \ue9taient utilis\ue9s respectivelement, pour analyser les determinants de participation \ue0 l\u2019entreprise de multiplication des semences communautaires et son utilisation par les producteurs comme une source de semences. Les entreprises de multiplication des semences communautaires ont \ue9t\ue9 identifi\ue9es rentables, g\ue9n\ue9rant des marges brutes de 792 US dollars et les semences de l\u2019haricot sont accessibles aux producteurs, compar\ue9es \ue0 d\u2019autres sources de semences, c\u2019est-\ue0-dire les syst\ue8mes semenciers formel et informel. Ces trois mod\ue8les de production et de distribution des semences se rivalisent \ue0 l\u2019\ue9chelle de l\u2019exploitation agricole, mais se compl\ue8tent en atteignant differents groupes sociaux d\u2019utilisateurs dans de localit\ue9s diff\ue9rentes. Les entreprises de multiplication des semences communautaires comme sources de semences, \ue9taient utilis\ue9es par les producteurs situ\ue9s dans les milieux ruraux et ceux en organisations/coop\ue9ratives paysannes. N\ue9amoins, la production des semences \ue0 travers ce mod\ue8le est plus concentr\ue9e dans les zones urbaines, o\uf9 les producteurs individuels de semences entrent facilement en contact avec le syst\ue8me semencier formel. Ceci, cependant met la commercialisation de la semence en \ue9troit contact avec les grands acheteurs pour la redistribution des semences entre les communaut\ue9s paysannes isol\ue9es

Technology Adoption and Dissemination in Agriculture: Evidence from Sequential Intervention in Maize Production in Uganda

経済学 / EconomicsWe use a randomized control trial to measure how the free distribution of modern inputs for maize production affects their adoption in the subsequent season. Information collected through sales meetings where modern inputs were sold revealed that the average purchase quantity of free-input recipients was much higher than that of non-recipients; that of the neighbors of recipients fell in-between. Also, credit sales had a large impact on purchase quantity, and the yield performance of plots where the free inputs had been applied positively affected the purchase quantities of both recipients and the neighbors with whom they shared information on farming. JEL Classification Codes: O13, O33, O55http://www.grips.ac.jp/list/jp/facultyinfo/matsumoto_tomoya